Book review

Tile second edition of Dr. \Valkcr's textbook designed for an elelnentary course in plant 1)athology. follows tim organization used in the first edition. Up-dating the information given in the previous edition constitutes the major changes. Terminology, classification and econolnic importance of plant diseases, and the history of the science are adequately covered in the first two chapters. N(m-parasitic diseases and diseases incited by bacteria, phycomycetcs, fungi ilnperfecti, ascomycetes, basidiomycetes, phanerogams, nemotodes and viruses are well treated in succeeding chapters. The symptoms, the causal agents, the disease cycles and control measures for over 100 well selected diseases on a wide variety of crops are discussed. Chapters dealing with general topics such as tfm relation of the environment to disease, host-parasite interactions, and disease control through excnlsion, eradication, protection and disease resistance emphasize the basic principles of plant pathology. References following the discussions on specific diseases and general topics include the 1host important papers published. The book is well illustrated. This is bv far the hest textbook, for tim beginning student, in the field.

too wide for general application. He is also gravely told that ' Tabacum ab multis Amevicanis masticatur ; gummi ab multis puellis We always believed that the charge of chewing tobacco was indignantly denied, and should not " Amevicanis " be " civibus dvitatum Foederatarum " or has the Monroe doctrine extended to Canada, which we believe still remains part of the British Empire? Then we have the useful sentence "Pelvisfeminae est lata" at once conveying an anatomical truth with "very choice Italian." The list of anatomical proper names is interesting,, though many are included that can hardly be said to be in common use.
There are a few errors. The christian name of Glisson was Francis, not Francois. It seems curious that the birth and death date as well as the Christian name of Cohnheim are not given ; they were 1839?1884, and Julius. State Aided v. Voluntary Hospitals. By W. Knowsley Sibley, M.D. Pp. 16. London: T. Burleigh. 1896. We recommend this little pamphlet to all who are interested in the Question of hospital management. Dr. Sibley shows how lamentably weak our system of hospital relief is when compared with that of other nations, and though the information given the working details is very meagre, many practical lessons are to be learnt from the German, French, and Swedish methods. The latter part is devoted to an exposition of the abuses existing in English hospitals, of which we have heard so much of late.
Some Incidents in General Practice. By Augustin Prichard.
Pp. 93. Bristol: J. W. Arrowsmith. 1898.?Not very long before fis death Mr. Augustin Prichard published an interesting and instructive little book which we favourably reviewed at the time. It gave a graphic description of Mr. Prichard's early life and education for the medical, or rather surgical, profession. In the present book there is a plain and straightforward account of ^any of the ups and downs of medical life, mainly those which ?ccur in the busy routine of the general practitioner. Mr. "richard's description of his earlier experiences in general Practice is given in a charmingly unaffected manner. His avourite speciality in surgery was ophthalmology, and this lie Worked at very diligently quite from the beginning of his professional life, chiefly amongst the poor who came in numbers to the Eye Dispensary of his uncle, Mr. Estlin, in Frogmore Street.
Mr. Prichard seems to have been very much amused with their eccentricities, and with the queer liberties the patients took With their native tongue, either spoken or written ; and at the {-^ginning of his practice, " noticeable particularly at the Eye ?dispensary and Infirmary, was the number of persons who could ^either read nor write; and when asked to spell their names, ^variably made the same reply, ' I ain't no scholar.' " The ^improvement in dress and personal cleanliness amongst the poor as represented in the out-patient departments of public charities is remarkable. "You now seldom or never see a man in absolute rags and tatters not enough to cover him, and with bare feet, unless he assumes it for his own purposes." Dr. James Cowles Prichard, the celebrated physician, the father of Mr. Augustin Prichard, was a great authority on insanity and published an excellent treatise on mental diseases. In consequence of this he was, towards the end of his life when retiring from private practice, appointed a Government Inspector of Lunatic Asylums, and most ably did he perform his important duties. Mr. Prichard, no doubt, often assisted his father in this work, and he gives a graphic account of his long tiresome journeys and of some amusing interviews and occasionally awkward predicaments in which he was placed by the lunatic patients. Mr. Prichard has described all this con amove, and it is, perhaps, the most interesting part of the book and should on no account be missed by the reader. A portrait of Dr. J. C. Prichard forms the frontispiece to the book, which also contains, from a sketch by ?Information which is scattered through a large number of treatises and journals, but which is not yet incorporated with the text of even the newest text-books will be found in this volume.
It contains an outline of the newest work in all the departments of scientific medicine and surgery, arranged ixa dictionary form, with the names of authors, the names o* diseases, and the names of medicines so arranged by Professor Paul Lefert, that the volume will be of service on the table o the practitioner as well as in the library of the student. We notice an excellent description of the agglutination of the microbes which forms the WTidal test for typhoid.
The Medical Examination for Life Assurance. By F. Havilland Hall, M.D. Pp. 73. Bristol: John Wright & C?' 1898.?An article on the selection of lives for life assurance published in the Medical Annual for 1896, met with so favourab e a reception that this small book was devised as likely to D useful to those practitioners who do not consult larger worKS on the subject. The author did well to make the book a small one; there is no need for lengthy treatises on this topic, and yet some training is required. The problem whether a particular person is healthy is always one which any medical man of mature judgment can solve; but the classification of defective lives needs consideration, and opens up many difficult problems.
We think this book is an excellent guide for those whose views on the question are not matured, and the author does not make niysteries out of trifles. Differential Diagnosis and Treatment of Coma. Arranged by George A. Huntley, M.D. Weston-super-Mare: Huntley Bros. [n.d.].?This chart classifies the characteristics of no less than thirteen varieties of coma, indicates the appropriate treatment for each, and adds that a fourteenth variety, feigned coma, often misleads the most practical expert. It is correct as far as it goes, and if hung up for reference would be found more instructive than an ordinary wallpaper.
Yellow Fever in the West Indies. By Izett Anderson, M.D. Pp. xv., 106. London: H. K. Lewis. 1898.?After retirement from active practice Dr. Anderson looked over his old notes, and thought that a record of his experience of over thirty years might benefit practitioners in the West Indies. His book is entirely clinical in its scope, and does not attempt to deal with the pathology and bacteriology of the disease. He says "I have never met with a single case in which I thought yellow fever had been contracted by either mediate or immediate contact with a previous case, or with a patient's exhalations or excreta;" yet, nevertheless, he thinks "it will probably conduce to the mental tranquillity, and enhance the reputation of the Practitioner, if he treats all his cases of this disease, as if they Were of the most contagious character." Dr. Anderson's dedication of his little book to his "dear brothers" leaves it uncertain whether he means to honour some members of his own family ?r his professional brethren.
Aneurysms of tlie Aorta. By Oswald A. Browne, M.D. j^P-38. London : H. K. Lewis. 1897.?This is a careful and laborious examination of 173 records of necropsies on cases in which aneurysm of the aorta was present. The cases are tabulated, and consequently the leading features can be readily Seen by anyone wishing to gather evidence upon any special Point. On glancing down the list which includes aneurysms of the ascending arch of the aorta, we notice that of eighteen cases ?f death from rupture no less than nine ruptured into the pericardial cavity. This is largely due to the great frequency of aneurysms situated immediately above the aortic valves. The Work, which was presented as a thesis for the Cambridge M.D., ooes not include examination of clinical records; but it would have been interesting to have known how many of these aneurysms were suspected during life. It unfortunately often v?l. XVI. No. 62. 25 happens that the fatal rupture into the pericardium is the first indication of their presence. The tables illustrate forcibly the danger of asphyxia in cases of aneurysm of the transverse arch. Thus in twenty-one cases death is attributed to dyspnoea or asphyxia, and in only sixteen to rupture; whereas in aneurysm of the descending part of the arch, rupture may be said to be the only cause of death. Of eighteen cases in which the cause of death is mentioned, in sixteen there was rupture.
Surgical Technics in Hospital Practice. By K. W. Monsarrat, Pp. 132. Bristol : John Wright & Co. 1898.?This small manual is "intended for jtmior men only" to systematise the routine duties of surgical hospital practice. Many of the remarks and instructions are good, particularly those referring to present-day asepsis, and the appendix of surgical rules for nurses.
The merit, however, is unequal, for whilst the details of an important operation like tracheotomy are deliberately omitted, details of treatment in Kocher's excision of the tongue are given. In our experience, a nutrient enema of 5^-ounces with addition of meat peptone (p. 57) exceeds the normal rectal appetite. The book is not exhaustive, but may be read with profit in conjunction with text-books ; details of the rarer operations, which vary with the operator, need not have been given.
Notes This is the booklet form of a paper read at the Montreal meeting of the British Medical Association. A large bulk of the cases is composed of oophorectomy and ovariotomy. The deaths occurred in cases of salpingitis and fibroid uterus. The term "cured "is too loosely applied to the cases of cancer of the uterus, as an insufficient time has elapsed in most of them to be sure that recurrence will not take place.
The Tallerman Treatment by Superheated Dry Air. Edited by Arthur Shadwell, M.B. Pp. xi., 173. London: Bailliere, Tindall and Cox. 1898.?Considering the price at which this book is sold, it is fairly obvious that it is produced at a loss, i.e., that it is an advertisement of the apparatus. This being so, it is a little odd that it should be edited by a medical man. The next striking point is that the description of the apparatus is most meagre and there is no illustration of it. It is further siated that the secret of the apparatus lies in " an ingenious arrangement f01 keeping the air really dry." Though no one can object to the apparatus being patented by the inventor and hired out at a. profit, yet the methods of pushing it into notice hardly commend themselves.
The method of treatment is, as shown by tn? results, most efficacious in many chronic joint diseases, sucn as gout, rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis, and sprains.  Ltd. 1898.?Our own limited experience with the mixed toxins has not been attended with very satisfactory results ; but we are pleased to see that the list of cases which the author has collected from various sources shows that there may still be a ray of hope for those afflicted with inoperable sarcoma. The author has wisely made a collection of cases of erysipelas occurring in the course of malignant affections and followed by disappearance of the growth. These show the rationale of the treatment in a convincing manner.
Hunyadi Janos. By Dr. E. Monin. Pp. 113. Budapest: Andreas Saxlehner. 1898.?These essays on clinical hydrology are founded on the dictum of Stahl: " Plethora omnium morborum mater." They comprise the results of individual clinical investigation of the action of Hunyadi Janos water by Dr. Monin, of Paris, together with reprinted papers by Prof. Semmola and Dr. Sirotkine. The general conclusion is, that the Hunyadi Janos water is one of the best of saline purgatives, and has a great range of utility in the treatment of many diseases.
Karger. 1897.?The author gives a minutely detailed account of the results as regards parturition of various methods of fixing the uterus in a position of anteversion, with the operative Measures that may be necessary in order to effect delivery. In dealing with the anatomy of the pregnant uterus he brings out very clearly the facts which have important bearing on the subject of antefixation generally. The chief deductions which fie draws from these are, that in performing vaginal fixation the sutures should be placed as low as possible, so that the expansion of the anterior uterine wall may not be interfered with.
While ventro-fixation should be performed in such a way as not to Produce firm adhesions. The most common disturbances in labour following fixation in cases where these cautions have been Neglected are caused partly by the displacement of the long axis the uterus, the angle which it makes with the plane of the brim being very much diminished, and the cervix lying near the Promontory; this prevents the descent of the presenting part and causes a tendency to transverse positions, delivery being effected with difficulty either by forceps or version, the latter Proceeding being very risky on account of the thinning of the Posterior wall. To deal with more difficult cases an operation fias been devised which consists in dividing the anterior lip of the cervix, part of the anterior vaginal wall, and the lower ferine segment after opening the anterior cellular interval between the uterus and bladder. The result of this is to make an. opening into the uterus more nearly corresponding to the axis of the inlet and allow of the descent of the presenting part. After delivery the incision is sewn up. Abortions and miscarriages are shown to be frequent; but it is not absolutely demonstrated that these are due to the operations. Alexander's operation appears to have no ill-effects either on pregnancy or parturition. Dr. Ruhl illustrates his points by several very clear diagrams.
Polyneuritis in relation to Gestation and the Puerperium. By H. G. Turney, M.D. Pp. 47. London: J. & A. Churchill. 1898.?The subject dealt with in this pamphlet, reprinted from St. Thomas's Hospital Reports, is one of great interest. The disease is rare; but from what we have seen of it we are inclined to agree with the German observers that it is usually of a septic origin, and is more common in patients who are predisposed to nervous affections. 1897.?This is a thoroughly practical book, and has been brought well up to date, though many details are necessarily omitted in such a work. The outlines of the subject are given in clear and concise language, supplemented by numerous illustrations. Tait's flap-splitting operation for ruptured perinaeum is made more intelligible than in most gynaecological works; and we are pleased to notice an absence of the anatomical minutiae with which similar treatises are frequently padded.
Outlines of the Diseases of Women. By John Phillips, M.D-Second Edition. Pp. xvi., 275. London : Charles Griffin & Company, Limited. 1897.?The first edition of this book was published about four years previously, and there is little difference in the two editions beyond the inclusion in the present volume of short notices on kraurosis, deciduoma malignum, movable kidney, and a few other subjects. The writing as a whole is compressed into as small a space as is compatible with clearness. The book, of course, lacks the detail found in larger manuals, to which it forms an useful adjunct. A curious error occurs in the middle of page 55, where a whole line has been duplicated.
Das Studium der Frauenheilkunde ihre Begrenzimg innerhalb der allgemeinen Medicin. Von A. Mackenrodt. Pp.35. Berlin: S. Karger. 1898. This is the first of a series of studies in gynaecology and obstetrics which are being issued by Dr* Mackenrodt and his assistants in his private hospital for women. As an introductory lecture on the need and importance of a special training in the diseases of women, this plea from a writer full of enthusiasm for his life's work will be found worthy of a careful reading.
Uber die Resultate der Radical-behandlung des Gebarmutter- Moure, of Bordeaux, is a prolific writer on matters relating to diseases of the larynx, ear, and nose, but he always writes with knowledge and we welcome the present additions to the list of his pamphlets. Surgeons in France have hitherto been somewhat behind those of England and America in operating for intra-cranial complications of ear-disease, but Dr. Moure now shows that they are becoming fully alive to the importance of early operation in these cases. Dr. Moure Maintains that adenoids are more commonly met with in adults than is generally supposed, and he gives some interesting cases which seem to prove his point. The difficult subject of sinusitis Jn the ethmoidal, frontal, and sphenoidal regions is clearly dealt with and the treatment fully described.
Outlines of Rural Hygiene. By Harvey B. Bashore, M.D. ^p. v., 84. Philadelphia: The F. A. Davis Company. 1897.? ?^r. Bashore has utilised his experience as Inspector for the State Board of Health of Pennsylvania in writing a short handbook intended to correct the almost absolute neglect of sanitary rules in districts outside of the great cities. His fecommendations seem generally sound, and some of the ^lustrations are original and suggestive.
Reports from the Laboratory of the Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh. Vol. VI. Edinburgh: William F. Clay. 1897.?One ?f the most important papers from a practical point of view in this volume is one by Dr. Dunlop on the excretion of oxalates ln the urine. He shows that it is invariably due to oxalates in the food, and that oxalates are not produced within the animal body. Thus there are no oxalates excreted on a diet of milk and meat, as it is the vegetables which are their source. The pondition of oxaluria is essentially one of hyperacid dyspepsia, ln which more oxalates than usual are dissolved during digestion and pass into the blood; and the condition can be cured by the ^ministration of either acids before meals or alkalies after, -this research thus clears up a question which is interesting theoretically and has most important practical bearings. Besides pis paper there are, as might be expected, many others of great interest. Dr. Berry Hart shows that the vagina is formed from the Wolffian ducts, and not, as hitherto thought, from the Miillerian. The various cases of atresia and abnormalities of the lower part of the genital tract thus receive a more satisfactory solution than was before possible. There are some valuable papers by Dr. Stockman on the amounts of iron in the tissues in various kinds of anaemia. The volume takes very little more time to read than a number of many a weekly medical journal; but whereas in the former one finds in every paper new and suggestive work, in the latter, as a rule, the amount of fresh knowledge is infinitesimal. And yet everyone reads a weekly journal.
The Johns Hopkins Hospital Eeports. Vol. VI. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press. 1897.?This volume contains a report in neurology by Dr. Henry J. Berkley, which consists of a study of the lesions produced by the action of certain poisons on the cortical nerve cell. The poisons dealt with are acute and chronic alcoholic poisoning in rabbits, serum poisoning, acute and chronic ricin poisoning, and the toxin of experimental rabies. The stains used in these investigations were Nissl's and the silver phospho-molybdate, a modification of Golgi's method devised by the author. It is hardly necessary to mention the great advance that these methods of staining have already made in the knowledge of the pathology of the nerve cell, and it is impossible to deal here in detail with Dr. Berkley's researches. It must suffice to say that the paper forms a very valuable and important contribution to nervous pathology, which should be carefully read and studied. We cannot, however, refrain from calling attention to the excellence of the illustrations, which are quite remarkable. They show that the preparations must have been very beautiful ones, and the way in which the reproductions have been done deserves the highest praise. Three papers dealing with uterine affections follow, and then there is an elaborate investigation by Dr. Wm-D. Booker, entitled " A Bacteriological and Anatomical Study of the Summer Diarrhoeas of Infants." This paper has involved an enormous amount of labour, 92 cases of various forms of summer diarrhoea in infants having been carefully studied. Of 33 cases in which the disease terminated fatally, a full account is given of the pathological changes found in the organs and of the results of a. thorough bacteriological investigation in each case. The results attained in all the cases are summarised at the end of the paper. From the correspondence between clinical symptoms, bacteriological results, and ana" tomical changes existing in many cases, the author distinguishes three principal forms of summer diarrhoea in infants: (1) dyspeptic or non-inflammatory, (2) streptococcus gastroenteritis, and (3) bacillary gastro-enteritis ; but we must refer our readers to the paper itself, which will well repay perusal-There is a series of fine plates of the microscopical appear" ances.
The concluding paper is again a very valuable one, entailing much painstaking research, and is by Dr. Simon Flexner. It deals with the pathological changes produced in the organs by toxalbumin intoxications. The poisons the action of which is investigated with this object are experimental diphtheria, streptococcus (these two acting in combination), cholera vibrio, and acute and chronic abrin and ricin intoxications. The paper is a very complete one, dealing with the literature of the subject, as well as a long series of original investigations ; it also contains a section on the lesions in man produced by certain toxic substances, and a concluding one on the pathogenesis and significance of the lesions of intoxication. It is impossible here to give an adequate account of Dr.
Flexner's researches, the paper itself must be read ; like the preceding papers, it is well illustrated. Enough has been said to indicate the wealth of matter to be found in this volume and the high standard of the several papers which compose it.
St. Thomas's Hospital Reports. New Series. Vol. XXV. London: J. & A. Churchill. 1897.?This volume contains a number of interesting papers and reports in detail of the work ?f the various departments of the Hospital. These latter are very carefully done, and as there are short abstracts of the cases of most interest and importance they form a very valuable storehouse of clinical records and statistics. The mortality of *07 cases of diphtheria treated with antitoxin in 1896 is 36.44 Per cent., and it is to be noted that of those treated on the first day of the disease the mortality is only 15.38 per cent. The Mortality of the cases of enteric fever was 11.2 per cent. There a special table of cases of pyaemia and septicaemia; and in the Gynaecological Report short outlines of abdominal operations are given, with three special tables of those undertaken f?r diseases of the ovaries, and of the Fallopian tubes, and for conditions other than these. There is a special report of the newly-established X-ray department. Dr. Turney's paper on "Polyneuritis in Relation to Gestation and the Puerperium " has been reprinted in pamphlet form, and is noticed separately ?n page 352. Dr. Acland has a well-reasoned and temperate article on compulsory vaccination ; and amongst other papers of interest there is one on surgical bilharziosis as seen in Egypt, by Mr. H. Milton, who has had a large experience of the disease in that country ; an analysis of 26 cases illustrating the clinical symptoms of tubal gestation in the early months, ~y Dr. Walter W. H. Tate ; a very useful and practical paper by Mr Phis volume consists of a collection of original investigations members of the staff of the Institute, and is appropriately prefaced by a short account of the main objects of its foundationfrom the pen of Lord Lister. The transactions open with a short paper on the relations of streptococci from various sources; then follows a carefully worked out series of experiments apparently establishing the identity of the pseudo-diphtheria bacillus with the Klebs-Loffler organism. In view of the extreme importance of the matter, and of the disappointing results that have attended parallel investigations, notably in the case of anthrax and typhoid, it is necessary to await independent corroboration before accepting the authors' conclusions unreservedly; but the very careful and seemingly conclusive observations recorded are certainly worthy of the immediate attention of other specialists in diphtheria. The volume includes also an elaborate note on the culture and reactions of the micrococcus gonorrhoeae and its companions, an account of a simple and effective process for the sterilisation of milk, and a lengthy investigation of the value of a well-known filter in connection with the sterilisation of water. An account of the bacteriological examination in a case of bubonic plague, an inquiry into the bacterial flora of dust particles, and a note on the preservation of water organisms in water instead of the usual culture media, complete a volume which bears testimony to the valuable work carried out in the laboratories of the Institute in spite of the adverse influences which have crippled its powers.
It is to be hoped that under new and more favourable conditions this work will be largely extended.
Transactions of the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland. Vol. XV. Dublin : Fannin and Co., Ltd. 1897.?Many papers of much interest will be found in this volume. The opening address upon the development of the brain, by Professor Wilhelrn His, of Leipzig, is the work of a leader in anatomy, and it is exceedingly well illustrated. In the section of medicine, a paper by Dr. H. C. Drury shows that we have in guaiacol applied locally " another and a valuable weapon with which to attack' pyrexia. Numerous other papers on the various branches of medical science are well worthy of study, and show that the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland has ardent workers i*1 many fields.
Transactions of the Ohio State Medical Society. Nor walk: The Laning Printing Company. 1897.?This volume marks a new departure, in that the papers and discussions on similar subjects are compiled into chapters. That on surgery includes papers bearing upon the application of aseptic surgery to general practice and in the treatment of retention of urine, which are worthy of careful reading. It includes also an interesting paper, by Dr. C. B. Parker, on the administration of pure oxygen in chloroform anaesthesia.
We agree with the statement of the editor, Dr. Harvey Reed, that it is the duty those concerned "to make each succeeding volume superior to-its predecessor," and in this he has set a good example; but we would suggest that the head-lines should give the subjects of the pages. The present volume is fully equal to its predecessors. It begins with the address of the president, Dr. J. Collins Warren, the subject of which is the "Influence of Ansesthesia on Surgery," and contains many valuable articles, among which we may mention "The Roentgen Rays in Surgery," by Dr given by Dr. Jose Ramirez, General Secretary of the Supreme Board of Health, who Writes : " The Sanitary Code of the Republic only provides for revaccination in the army, and this provision is founded on experience, which shows that the vaccine has not degenerated in Mexico, and that one sole inoculation confers immunity from the disease. These curious and very important facts can only be explained by the other fact, that the vaccine has been preserved *?r a period of 88 years by five persons and that, having passed through so few hands, it has always been selected with unequalled expertness. . . . Revaccination has several times been attempted in the office of the Supreme Board, with the same negative results; but the fact that is best proved by this permanent immunity, is the extreme rarity of any case in which an adult succumbs to small pox. . . . Another significant fact is the great danger that foreigners who are vaccinated in their ?Wn country run of contracting fatal small pox in Mexico, -j-hese cases occur with great frequency, and the Board of ?Health has found itself obliged to invite foreigners to be re-Vaccinated." There is no opposition to vaccination in Mexico, and the satisfactory results of efficient vaccination, which has been obligatory since 1891, are well shown in the appended tables. We trust this country may, in its own interests, long spared the domination of " the conscientious objector." Collins, who has added a full account of the literature, and pathology as far as it has been determined, of the subject. Mr. Nettleship furnishes an exhaustive report on cases of central amblyopia as an early symptom of tumour of the chiasma. Based on researches from the bacteriological laboratory of Guy's Hospital, there is an excellent consideration and illustration of Tuberculosis of the conjunctiva, the classification of the various groups formulated by Sattler being adopted and followed out.
Several very interesting cases of intraocular cysticercus with illustrations are also given. The discussion on retro-ocular neuritis, opened by Mr. Marcus Gunn and Dr. Buzzard, is very fully reported, and contains some very interesting facts and theories. This is a fine volume brimful of information to those who are interested in the study of ophthalmology.
Transactions of the American Ophthalmological Society. Vol. VIII., Part I. Hartford: Published by the Society. 1897.?" Most of the cases in this volume are rare ones and well reported, while the illustrations, which are mainly taken from photographs, are all that could be desired. We think, however, that in reporting several of the cases too much space is given to the refraction where the refraction of the cases has no possible interest. Four cases of exophthalmos are quoted, due to different causes, and fairly well exhaust the subject. Diphtheritic conjunctivitis, according to Dr. Myles Standish, is only to be diagnosed by means of the bacteriological examination and not at all from the clinical appearances. From this view we dissent.
Dr. Lucien Howe, in the treatment of an obstinate case, makes no mention of having tried quinine lotion, which, in this country at least, is looked on almost as a specific. " Sarcoma of the retina" is called a very rare and interesting condition; but under its old name of "Glioma," which the cases quoted at once suggest, it has not the same significance. The X-rays receive a large share of attention, and several cases of location of foreign bodies by their aid are carefully reported, and the methods given, but these are so complicated and the mathematics so severe as almost to stagger the reader. There is a fair report of a case of "toxic amblyopia " with many sections of the optic nerves, which seem at least to make the site of the lesion quite clear. Altogether this is a good book.
Transactions of the American Laryngological Association. New York: D. Appleton and Company. 1898.?This Association got through a great deal of good work in its three-day session, and much benefit may be obtained by reading this volume of Transactions. Dr. Charles H. Knight, in his presidential address, justly claimed that the Association is not carried away by fads ?f the moment, while at the same time it is ready to give judicial consideration to all new theories or modes of treatment.
Shaw's Manual of the Vaccination Law. By a Barrister-at-Law. Sixth Edition. Pp. xii.,148. London: Shaw & Sons. 1898.?The Vaccination Act of 1898 has necessitated a new edition of this excellent Manual, which contains all the statute law which will be in force on the subject at the beginning of *899. The sections have appended to them a commentary Which includes all the decisions of the courts bearing on them, and a very full index enables the facts to be very easily reached.
A distinctive feature of this edition is a valuable introduction giving an historical statement of the law, with an epitome of the principal conclusions of the Royal Commission on which the new enactments are based.
The 1898 Act will greatly mcrease the work and responsibilities of Public Vaccinators, Who will not in a majority of cases find the "minimum" fees authorised by the Local Government Board adequate remuneration. Time alone can demonstrate the ultimate effect of the " tremendous experiment" of the recent legislation. One of two things must happen. The "conscientious objector" will Prove more amenable to rational arguments now that his 'grievance" is taken from him, or a severe epidemic of small-Pox will cause the logic of facts to be brought fully home to him.
Handbook on the Workmen's Compensation Act, 1897. By Limited. 1898.?Whatever may be one's opinion of the Justice of this Act, and of its provisions for the compensation for accidents, this must not be taken into consideration in noticing Mr. Roberts-Jones's book. That before the Act came into ?Peration a fifth edition was called for, is evidence that the explanations and references given by the author were appreci-ated, probably both by the masters and the men. The general opinion, however, is that no one can foretell how the Act will work. Employers certainly do not look on it with favour, nor do we think they will get much relief to their anxiety from Mr. Roberts-Jones's book. The work is an excellent one, and should be in the hands of all employers and employed, as well as the Medical Referees appointed under the Act.
Bur&ett's Hospitals and Charities. London: The Scientific Press Limited. 1898.?Sir Henry Burdett, as perhaps might have been expected, has launched forth in his annual in praise of the Prince of Wales's Fund, and plays havoc with the persons who cry out that the fund stayed the ordinary flow of charity to the smaller institutions. We do not always accept Sir Henry's statements, or, perhaps we should say, opinions. We admit the easy flow of his rhetoric and the convincing manner of his argument, but for all that we remain unconvinced of his facts.
Perhaps we have hardened oar hearts too much. If an unfortunate individual happens to disagree on such a subject as the realisation of some reform of hospital abuse, he is pulverised with lengthy arguments and deluged, if not drowned, with figures. The useful part of the annual, i.e. the statistical part, is as good as ever.
Year-Book of the Scientific and Learned Societies of Great Britain and Ireland. London: Charles Griffin and Company, Limited. 1898.?We have with pleasure noticed this book in former years, and have advocated a more comprehensive index; we still think that if the names of the authors and titles of papers could be included in the index, the work would be more useful, and would be consulted by a larger number of persons as a work of reference. If a proof was sent to each secretary or other officer of the societies mentioned in the work, it would " What -the fund most urgently requires is an increase in its regular annual subscribers." This charity appeals so especially to medical practitioners as to almost constitute a first claim on their benevolence, and if they fully knew the number and distressing character of the appeals for help, it would receive a larger measure of support from them. The hon. local secretary for this district is Dr. J. Michell Clarke, who would be glad to increase the number of local annual subscribers. If every medical man gave even the small subscription of iive shillings, that would mean a considerable gain to the funds of the Society. The Medical and Surgical "Eeview of Reviews." London: The Medical and Surgical "Review of Reviews," Ltd.?This monthly periodical, which began its existence in October, is not intended to rival or in any way take the place of the established ones, but to be an index and guide to those already in existence?a focus of the theoretical and practical advancement ?f medicine throughout the world. Every book of importance "will be reviewed, and an annual index will be provided. We "wish the editor, whose name was previously unknown to us, all success in his effort. Janus. London : Williams and Norgate.?This magazine, now beginning its third year, presents many novel and attractive features. It is an international bi-monthly devoted to the history ?f medicine and to the study of diseases, with particular reference to their geographical distribution. Especial attention is given to military and naval medicine, and to the reviewing of medical books and magazines of all countries. With a large staff of correspondents in almost every known country, amongst whom are many well-known names, the success of the venture should be assured. The articles are written chiefly in English, French, German, and Italian. The Journal is published in Amsterdam, under the editorship of Dr. H. F. A. Peypers. A recent number contains some very fine prints illustrating a Paper on Beri-Beri. Dr. J. F. Payne contributes some letters and fragments of Thomas Sydenham, some of which have not Previously been published. Plague is dealt with by Drs. Matignon and Hofler, and African diseases by Dr. T. Brault, of Algiers. Other interesting articles are "The Early Days of Anaesthesia," by Dr. Cabanes, and some " Experiments with Dr. Unna's New ?Method of Treating Leprosy," by Dr. J. A. Voorthuis.
Illustrirte Rundschau der medicinisch-chirurgischen Teehnik. ?Berne : K. J. Wyss.?This international quarterly journal, the first number of which appeared in February, 1898, is a useful account of recent inventions and improvements in clinical methods, operations, and treatment other than that by drugs. New instruments are briefly described and figured in numerous woodcuts. There are separate sections devoted to internal medicine, to general surgery, to surgery of the trunk, limbs, and pelvis, and to surgery of the throat and sense organs. In each of these is a list of the recent papers on treatment and methods of diagnosis of the various diseases, with abstracts of the more important ones. Thus we find under internal medicine, not only references to the most recent articles of a practical character, but a summary of new work on the treatment of ataxy by mechanical means, on the examination of urine for tubercle bacilli, and on the use of currents of high frequency. Orthopaedic and obstetric methods occupy considerable space. The editor, Dr. Gustav Beck, has indeed marked out for himself a new field, and the magazine offers to the busy practitioner a ready reference to the best of the suggestions and methods which are scattered over the medical journals of the world. The printing and illustrations are clear and attractive.
Public Health. London: The Rebman Publishing Company, Limited.?Our exchange-list has received the addition of this, which is the Journal of the Incorporated Society of Medical Officers of Health. A new volume was begun in October. We may mention that in the numbers before us Dr. J. N. Cook's paper on "The Causes of Failures of -English Preventive Measures in India" in regard to the Plague, and Dr. A. K* Chalmers's careful " Inquiry into the Vital Statistics of School Ages," are of special interest. As the discussions which follow the papers read at branch meetings are often of suggestive value, we should like to see them reported. We do not admire the arrangement of the list of contents, which should be printed entire on the cover. Archiv fur Verdauungs-Krankheiten. Berlin: S. Karger.? This periodical, which is now in its fourth volume, deals with disorders or diseases of digestion, nutrition, and with dietetics, and has in addition a list of the current literature of the subject, with critical abstracts of the important papers. The original compilations in the first number of the present volume comprise a short note on the diagnostic value of the enumeration of the red blood-cells by Prof. F. P. Henry, of New York; observations on the occurrence of alimentary glycosuria in diseases of the liver, by Dr. Bierens de Haan; a paper on the histology 9 the stomach-glands in conditions of hyperacidity of the gastric juice. An article by Dr. Peltyn deals with digestion of proteids under the influence of solutions of the haloid salts. Dr. J. Boas, who edits the work, has a paper on stenosis of the pylorus due to simple hypertrophy and its treatment, and Dr. Westphalen describes a case of adhesions between the liver and colon. AH these papers are good and deserving of careful study. The current literature is very completely dealt with; the abstracts are well done and sufficiently full. Workers at this branch oi medicine will find this journal of very great value, if not indis-